Los Angeles Dodgers activate newcomer Curtis Granderson  —  Newly acquired outfielder Curtis Granderson was activated by the Los Angeles Dodgers and was in the starting lineup for Saturday afternoon's game against the Detroit Tigers.  —  It was among a flurry of moves by the Dodgers …

Happ's bat, Quintana's arm lead Cubs over Blue Jays 4-3 (Aug 19, 2017)  —  CHICAGO (AP) Rookie Ian Happ hit his 18th home run, Jose Quintana pitched six effective innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 Saturday to keep up their success against AL opponents.

MLB umpires wear wristbands to protest ‘abusive’ treatment  —  Major League Baseball umpires are wearing white wristbands during games Saturday, protesting “abusive player behavior” after Detroit second baseman Ian Kinsler was fined but not suspended for his recent verbal tirade against ump Angel Hernandez.

Cubs claim veteran catcher Rene Rivera but not in hurry to make more deals  —  Theo Epstein on Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester: “His arm is tired, which is understandable.”  (Paul Skrbina/Chicago Tribune)  —  Jon Lester to the 10-day disabled list with left-shoulder fatigue is a done deal.

Mets explode for seven runs in sixth inning to beat Marlins, 8-1  —  The Mets youngsters are getting their shots, and they delivered in a big way Saturday night.  —  Behind six sparkling innings from former super prospect Rafael Montero and a seven-run sixth inning, the Mets topped the Marlins …

Padres send Hunter Renfroe to Triple-A: 'He's got strides to make'  —  SAN DIEGO — The rebuilding San Diego Padres demoted one of their top young players, right fielder Hunter Renfroe, to Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.  —  Manager Andy Green said the Padres want Renfroe to work on plate discipline …

Frazier HR, 3 hits, Pirates top Cards 6-4 to end 6-game skid (Aug 19, 2017)  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) Adam Frazier homered, doubled and singled as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Saturday to end a six-game losing streak.  —  Frazier hit a two-run homer in the second and doubled off the wall the next inning.

Matt Klentak would be wise to pursue two veteran pitchers for Phillies rotation  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The latest rotation shuffle brought Ben Lively to California, where he will start Sunday for the Phillies.  That bumped Mark Leiter Jr. to the bullpen, although he may not be there long …

Yankees get to Chris Sale, CC Sabathia throws gem in win over Red Sox  —  BOSTON — One minute, CC Sabathia was seriously contemplating retirement.  —  The next minute, the 37-year-old lefty was throwing a gem at Fenway Park in the middle of a playoff race.

Royals' starting rotation continues struggles in 5-0 loss to Indians  —  In 2015, the Royals proved that a baseball team can win big without dominant starting pitching.  The rotation posted a 4.34 ERA that season, good enough for 12th in the American League.  A team still won 95 games and a second consecutive pennant anyway.

McFarland, Shipley candidates for Sunday  —  Manager Torey Lovullo said the Diamondbacks are waiting to get through Saturday night's game against the Twins before naming a starter for Sunday's series finale.  —  Ideally, the club would like to use reliever T.J. McFarland as the starter and go with a “bullpen day” game on Sunday.

AL News & Rumors: Astros, Tigers, ChiSox, Jays  —  There remains an outside chance that Houston will trade for Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander this month, as the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo hears from major league sources that the Astros haven't closed the door on acquiring the fireballer.

Yankees' Aaron Judge sets record for most consecutive games with K in single season  —  New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge has struck out in his 36th consecutive game, setting the record for the longest strikeout streak in a single season by any player, according to Elias Sports Bureau.